Air War in Korea

[Ed Evanhoe <ede@oio.net>]

Mike,

I heard much the same thing about the number of MiGs in the air and
gathered the kill ratio was much closer to 1:1 than to 15:1 based on the
Soviet stuff Cookie Sewell sent me and I posted on my web site under
"Soviet Union." When I first saw Cookie's "1059.doc" (the one where
the Soviets claimed to have downed US aircraft) I wasn't sure it was
accurate but so far every downing I have been able to cross-reference
with other stuff I have (about 10%) it has been right on the money.

As a sidebar to this, the same type of twin-engine bomber plastered
Taehwa-do for several days before the Chinese invaded and captured
the island and Lt. Adams-Acton (the Brit who was shot (executed after
being recaptured) while trying to  escape just before the Ceasefire.)

Ed

 >>Ed!

     Many interesting stories yesterday from USAF Lt. Gen. (ret.) & F-86
fighter pilot/ace "Bones" Marshall of air combat in Korea.  One day they
broke up a huge bomber/fighter mission headed for Cho-do.  He said the
bombers were their equivalent of our B-25, some twin-engine, propeller-driven
thing.  They had about a dozen of these and a huge swarm of Migs; none of
which actually hit the island.

     I'm really not sure what to make of his descriptions of the number of
Migs he said they frequently encountered.  He's talking a couple of hundred
in the air at the same time.  Not everytime of course, but often.  That was
the primary reason the Migs shredded the B-29 formations, even those escorted
with F-86s.  They just hit in such huge numbers that no matter how many were
engaged by the grossly-outnumbered Sabers, their were plenty more to break
through the defending fighter screen.  Said they were really verbally abused
by the bomber crews for not protecting them.

     "Bones" also said that their numerical inferiority was usually so bad
that they might have 6-8 Sabers against 50-60 Migs.  That all they could do
is dive into the Migs and try to break up the formation before the Migs
pounced on the bombers or F-84s far below.  Said the WWII big name fighter
aces came over to Korea, thinking their tactics protecting the B-17s over
Germany would work in Korea.  But that there were simply too many Migs
hitting all at once.  Said the true ratio of kills-to-losses, when you factor
in the B-29s, F-51s, F-84, with the F-86s, was much closer to 1:1 than the
vaunted 15:1 they were publishing at the time; the latter I presume a very
limited look at Saber-to-Mig combat.  Sounds typical of the military, pick
out the one little piece of the poor showing that looks good, and trumpet
that.

     The USAF version of Red Flag (Top Gun) during the war was called the
"Tiger Program," out of Nellis AFB, Las Vegas.  But they were teaching guys
how to attack a solo Russian bomber headed for the U.S. with a nuke.  These
guys were totally unprepared for the confusion, isolation, & fear of diving
into a shitpot of Migs.  Said it was not unusual to come back to base and
walk over the Saber with the new-guy wingman in it, after his first mission
(if he survived), and find the guy crying his heart out.  Totally shocked.
In contrast, many of the old Air Guard guys would show up in Korea--"big
handle-bar mustaches, beer bellies"--and got right into the struggle without
too much problem.

     This sure ain't the air war I read about.

Mike<<
Ed Evanhoe, PO Box 916, Antlers, OK, 74523
Member: American Society of Journalists and Authors
Author: DARKMOON: Eighth Army Special Operations in the Korean War
Life Member:  Special Forces & Special Operations Associations
Co-list Owner:  KOREAN-WAR-L (University of Kansas Listproc)
Web site:  http://www.korean-war.com
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